Larger than life

I like Bond films. I think that the series - particularly in the 1960s and 1970s - pushed at the boundaries of film-making and showcased the talents of some remarkable individuals. Of particular note to the success of the Bond films are Peter Hunt's editing, Maurice Binder's titles, John Barry's scores and Ken Adam's production design. Adam is responsible for helping to create the ulra-modern universe of the Bonds with huge and spectacular animated sets, and gadget-laden cars like the Aston Martin DB5 and the submarine-car Lotus Esprit.

For Goldfinger Adam produced the exterior and interiors of Fort Knox. As the inside of Fort Knox was top secret and no photographs existed, Adam relied on his imagination to communicate the sheer amount of gold that the villain intended to irradiate, a 'city of gold'. Adam stated that he felt it more important to portray what he thought a bank vault should look like rather than the reality; gold is never stacked very high because it is so heavy, and the lifts depicted in the film would not have functioned for this reason. Even so, the strength of Adams' design must lie in creating a believable fantasy, for the sheer number of people who accepted unquestioningly what they saw as the real Fort Knox gold depository.

During the recee for You Only Live Twice, Adam took the largest risk of his career by agreeing to build Blofeld's volcano lair for $1 million. So much was the stress at the prospect of such an expensive and experimental set that he broke out in eczema and was prescribed Valium. As no stage was large enough to accommodate the set, it was built free-standing and dismantled after production. Even though he considered this wasteful, Adam still believes that the decision to construct a set rather than a model was important for creating the right feel, having things happen for real such as a helicopter dscending into the set through the roof and landing on a heliplad, instead of using models.

Adam worked with director Lewis Gilbert again on his last two Bonds The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker. The stories of these films demanded as similar a level of extravagance as Twice. For Spy Adam designed a villain's base that could rise out of the sea. The idea came from a trip to Okinawa where there was supposed to be an underwater structure that came out of the water, but it did not. Adam struggled to adapt its oil rig shape for his designs, until he threw it out and began to experiment with curves and created a spider-like structure. In contrast to the modern exterior, the villain Stromberg had a Renaissance-style interior with Botticelli paintings that rose into the ceiling revealing a shark tank behind them. Animated sets filled with surprises are a Ken Adam hallmark, as is the juxtaposition of the modern with the old. In Moonraker this idea is pushed even more with a shuttle-launching base hidden amongst Mayan ruins in the depths of the rainforest. Adam designed the interior rocks of the temple to appear artificial and glassy to demonstrate the engineering of the environment and the extent to which the villain Drax had gone to conceal himself.

Ken Adam deserves more recognition for his work on the Bond films. He has won two Oscars for his work on historical films Barry Lyndon and The Madness of King George that is not typical of his output. He has also received a high deal of acclaim from people like Spielberg, as well as a BAFTA, for his war-room set in Dr. Strangelove. Working alongside Kubrick, Adam designed a fantastic set, a humongous concrete bunker in which world leaders appeared to be playing a giant poker game for the future of the world across a round, flood-lit table. His design demonstrates the same level of innovation and consideration for the film as any of his Bond designs. It therefore seems that what prevented Adam from receiving an Oscar for any of his seven Bond films is snobbery about a series of big-budget and financially successful films. It should not be forgotten that part of their success - the larger-than-life universe of Bond - is attributable to Ken Adam.